


Of Battles and Blooms

by laurelofthestory



Category: Puyo Puyo (Video Games)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Awkwardness, First Meetings, Gen, Light-Hearted, Not Canon Compliant, Original Character-centric, POV Third Person, Slow To Update
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-04
Updated: 2021-03-10
Packaged: 2021-03-16 21:48:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,017
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29831388
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/laurelofthestory/pseuds/laurelofthestory
Summary: While it's true that they weretechnicallypresent at the last tournament, their 'nephew' has a point when he tells Ajisai that it's not the same as participating--something they discover for themself inveryshort order.Or; a reconstituted demon tries very, very hard to endear themself to people they've only vaguely known or tormented for months, with varying results.
Kudos: 12





	1. Sig

**Author's Note:**

> If anyone can figure out why authors in general have a tendency to keep working on new stuff rather than finishing their old stuff, please tell me. I'm suffering.
> 
> This came about because I absolutely had to do something more with Ajisai, Sig's ancestor and the OC originally introduced in the first part of the [Divergent Hydrangea](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25718842) fic (though that fic isn't a necessary read for this one), and I really, really wanted to play around with how they'd interact with the cast and also show them off to more people because I really like them. So of course I had to make an AU where they're restored. How does this make any sense? I don't know, just work with it. This is definitely more of an on-and-off side project than anything. I say that so I am not buried under the guilt of not updating a multichapter work. This also isn't as much intended to be a 'route' as it is a collection of connected scenes, despite the way these chapters are named.
> 
> Also, for anyone potentially excited about them meeting Schezo, spoiler alert, Schezo is run out of town screaming by Popoi but Large in a couple of chapters because he should not be allowed around minors, and does not appear in this fic in any further capacity.

Looking down on Primp Town from the ridge is rather like watching a beehive--except instead of honeycomb, the excited little bees on the ground are rushing about building a network of colorful streamers and decorations.

“You certainly have a lot of celebrations here, don’t you.”

Sig gives the barest of shrugs, not even bothering to glance up from the caterpillar that’s made itself at home on a finger of his claw. “Guess so. It’s fun.”

“What is it this time? The Primp Festival wasn’t too long ago. It can’t be that again, can it?”

“Puyo tournament. The school’s running it.”

“Ah, I see.”

“They did it last year, too. Bunch of Arle’s friends showed up.”

“You do realize I was _there_ for the last one, yes?”

Sig finally looks over, and they patiently wait for him to arrive at the realization. “Oh, yeah. Right.”

Ajisai chuckles quietly under their breath as their descendant goes back to admiring the caterpillar. It is easy to forget that they’d been present during many of the major events in Sig’s life, if only because they look and act so different now that they have a whole body to themself again. The strangeness of the situation is a small price to pay for their freedom, of course, and they owe Ecolo a great deal for the service.

Well, not _just_ Ecolo, they suppose. There had been... _others_ involved.

“It’s different playing in it yourself, though,” Sig continues after a pause. Ajisai shakes their head to dislodge the loose thoughts before turning back to him.

“Are you going to be joining in this year, then?”

“Yeah.” A tiny smile comes to Sig’s face, though he still doesn’t look up. Nothing more needs to be said, so a comfortable silence stretches on between them, as Sig watches the caterpillar climb his arm and offers his right hand to crawl on instead so he doesn’t lose the little thing. Meanwhile, Ajisai can’t help but glance back down towards the frenetic party preparations, fangs poking slightly at their lower lip in thought.

They’ve been alive and well for at least two weeks now, and only four people even know about it; they’ve either been staying at Sig’s house rereading the collection they’d passed down to him or wandering about the Forest of Nahe aimlessly, occasionally slipping into town at night to have a look around before quickly leaving again. But...they’d like to go into town properly, if only to visit the library. And there are so many of Sig’s classmates they’d never gotten to meet properly, too. After so long isolated, they finally remember what it’s like to feel a need for companionship.

There’s only the question of if they _deserve_ it. If they’ll be _welcome_ there.

Ajisai takes a deep breath. “Is this tournament only for the students?”

“No,” Sig replies without missing a beat, “Bunch of other people are probably gonna play. Arle’s friends, Ringo’s friends, the people from space, Ally…Dunno who’s coming, but I’d be surprised if those guys didn’t.”

“Hm.”

“You wanna play too?” Sig takes his attention from the caterpillar, looking over at them with half-lidded, questioning eyes and pursed lips. “You’re really good.”

“Well…” Leave it to their ‘nephew’ to see right through them. Ajisai looks away, hair flicking in slight agitation. They’ve picked up a thing or two about Puyo over the years, it’s true--they’ve even given some of Sig’s classmates a run for their money in the past. Though that only brings up the _circumstances_ of those battles, which were...less than ideal. “Do you think they’d be willing to have me?”

“You’d have to ask Ms. Accord.” Typical Sig--doesn’t even notice their internal struggle, or perhaps he does and doesn’t think it’s an issue. He points down at the town with a clawed finger. “She’s probably down there helping set up.”

Ajisai narrows their eyes, considering it. They suppose the worst that can happen is them being told no and having to go back to the forest, but the idea of just walking into town as they are is a bit unnerving. Still… “Would you mind if I went down there now?”

“Go ahead,” Sig says, focus returning to the caterpillar. They can’t help but chuckle a bit under their breath at their nephew’s fascination, the same all-consuming interest that they had for books and stories. 

Ajisai stands, shaking the grass out of their cape before resting a hand on Sig’s left shoulder and squeezing slightly. “Don’t go running off,” they say with a wry smirk, fully aware that Sig will probably still be watching the caterpillar in the exact same position twenty minutes from now.

Sig knows it too, and huffs a little, amused snort through his nose. “Yeah, I’ll try not to.”


	2. Ms. Accord

Ajisai very quickly finds that the town is even busier in person than it looked from the ridge. They’ve never been one for selfconsciousness, but simply _walking into town_ on their own is so _foreign_ to them that they can’t help but feel exposed. Ajisai carefully pulls their cape closer to them over one shoulder, the fuschia fabric effectively hiding one of their hands while they rest the other behind their back, trying to focus on keeping their hair and ears still. It seems to work in keeping them mostly inconspicuous, aside from the occasional wayward glance thrown their way--not that that’s anything they’re unused to.

Ms. Accord is easy to spot near the center of all the activity. She stands out even compared to the rest of Primp’s residents, and it’s not as if they’re unfamiliar with her. As they approach, they straighten their posture and drop a hand to their side, raising the other to hail her and trying to exude confidence. “Excuse me, Miss--!” They barely cut themself off, remembering at the last moment that they shouldn’t know her by name.

The eyes of the feline puppet in Accord’s arms immediately fixate on them with a searching look they pretend they don’t notice. Accord glances up a moment later and gives them a welcoming smile, meeting them halfway. “Yes? Did you need something?” She looks them over. “I don’t think I’ve seen you around here before. Are you new?”

Ajisai gives a small bow. “Yes, very much so. I only just arrived here a couple of weeks ago, but I heard that you were arranging a Puyo tournament--and that more than just the magic school students were able to participate. Is that true?”

Accord turns her head, glancing at them out of the corner of her eye. “Yes, though the prize isn’t anything as glamorous as last year’s. We had some...unexpected guests vying for it last time.”

“Of course.” They nod respectfully. “I’m not interested in the prize, but I would like to participate if I’m able. I’ve been told I have some skill.”

There’s a moment’s pause as Accord looks them up and down searchingly, then shares a glance with the cat. A sly smile spreads across her face as she meets their eyes. “So, you’re participating by _yourself_ this time?”

Ajisai’s eyes widen slightly, but they manage to recover. “Ah...yes, yes I am. Good eye.”

Accord giggles. “You could say we have a nose for this sort of thing.”

“And we don’t trust mew,” the cat adds, baring its teeth. 

Ajisai turns their focus to it, a hand to their chest in mock offense. They know what the cat’s about, of course. “You don’t trust _me?_ Why, we’re practically family.”

The cat hisses, and Accord laughs again, though tries to hide it behind the feather of her cane. “He’s a bit high strung,” she offers, stroking the cat’s head with a finger--it tries and pout, but leans into the touch anyway. They’re almost positive they hear purring. Her gaze becomes serious. “Though I do hope you don’t intend to cause any trouble.”

“Of course not.” A hand over their heart, this time genuine. “My wits are about me again, and that is all in the past.” ...They can’t help a slight smirk. “...well, _mostly._ But I don’t want to cause any harm.”

Accord nods slowly, taking a second to judge their sincerity. “I’m going to choose to trust you.”

“I appreciate it.” Another, lower bow.

She inclines her head. “What should I call you? Some of the students gave you a name, thinking I wouldn’t know who you were.”

“That would be _Ayashii._ But that isn’t me anymore. Call me Ajisai.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you properly, Ajisai.” Accord claps her hands together, brightening. “Now, I hope you’ll consent to a brief placement match? I’d just like to get an idea of your skill level.”

“Certainly. I’ll be around whenever works for you.” Accord doesn’t respond, merely watching them with a tiny smile and a mischievous glint in her eye. Ajisai clears their throat and runs a hand through their hair, as the end curls upward. “Ah...You meant _right now,_ didn’t you.”

“What time would be better? Unless there’s something you need to attend to.”

“Of course not.”

“Then we might as well get moving!”

Accord turns on a heel and begins walking toward where the cobbled paths branch into a more open intersection. Ajisai hesitates for a moment before following after, their head still reeling. They haven’t gotten the chance to play for quite some time, though they’re confident enough in their own skills. They just weren’t exactly expecting Accord to pull the rug out from under them, gently put it back, and then immediately yank it out all over again.

Ajisai can’t deny it makes for interesting conversation, at least.

Accord stops at one corner, while Ajisai makes their way to the other one. She makes a wide circle with her cane, and a circle of the dueling spell’s effective radius forms around the two of them, before she points the cane at them.

 _“Shall we begin?”_ A spark of purple magic flickers at the tip of her cane, and she raises an eyebrow expectantly.

They can’t help the slight smile turning the corners of their lips, or the flourish as they throw their cape over one shoulder and point a claw at her, an equally purple spark at their fingertip. _“So...you seek to challenge me?”_

The magic sparks meet each other halfway, their boards appear, and the placement match begins.


	3. Ms. Accord; Klug

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this might come off a little cringy, but thanks for the views--I wasn't expecting anyone to even look at this thing, much less leave kudos.

The match is long enough for margin time to set in, greatly increasing the amounts of garbage sent, and the two spend some time trapped in a stalemate, making two and three-chains to just barely block each other’s attacks. Ajisai gives their board all of the focus they can muster, but they fail to notice Accord’s single power two-chain, and the resulting onslaught of nuisance sends both player and board tumbling. 

Ajisai lands on a knee, curling a fist, as Accord twirls her cane.

_“Must I keep waiting...?”_

_“That was exciting!”_

Ajisai takes a moment to catch their breath as the accumulated nuisance dissolves, though they smile in spite of themself--they can’t _remember_ the last time they had a battle like _that._ They rest their hand on the ground to catch their balance, but before they can push themself upright, they find the end of a cane hovering in front of their face.

Accord is smiling, too. “Well played, Mx. Ajisai. I think you’ll be a perfect fit for the showcase matches this evening.”

Ajisai takes hold of the cane, and Accord helps pull them upright with a surprising amount of strength, then makes a motion as if trying to dust off their jacket with the cane’s feather. “Thank you, ma’am,” Ajisai says, bowing. “It’s an honor.”

“Do you prefer standard or fever rules?”

“Either or.”

“Noted.” Accord bobs her head, then glances over one shoulder and giggles. “I think I should leave you be for now. I’ve still got a lot of preparations to do, and I think you may have some new fans.”

“Ah?”

With the intensity of the battle, Ajisai hadn’t even been paying attention to anything around them. Now that they look, they can see their battle had gathered some attention--though they suppose it was inevitable, having a match like that in the middle of town. A small crowd had gathered a safe distance away from the two of them, mostly Primp citizens they don’t recognize with a few students mixed in. 

They’re unused to having so many eyes on them, but don’t let it show on their face, offering a graceful wave instead. There’s a mild spattering of applause, but the reaction is mostly people glancing at each other and quiet whispers their ears twitch to try and catch; _new in town--haven’t seen a battle that impressive in--doesn’t that boy have a hand--_

Ajisai supposes the proverbial cat had to get out of the proverbial bag at some point, though thankfully Accord seems to notice their uncertainty and waves the crowd off. “Go on, go on, there’s still much to be done!”

The crowd reluctantly begins to disperse, and Ajisai and Accord share a look before Accord turns and rushes off and Ajisai heads over to sit on the edge of the fountain at the center of town. They’re certain their little case of stage fright will subside soon enough, but being _perceived_ is an altogether new feeling for them, and some time to get used to it without a large audience will probably do them good. Plus, it’ll allow them to get some early introductions out of the way--guests probably aren’t going to start arriving for a little while at least, so once they’ve gathered themself, they decide they’ll start trying to answer the questions the students no doubt have.

And speaking of the students…

“You’re _joining_ the _tournament?!”_

Ajisai’s gaze had drifted to the ground, but they glance up at the voice that’s _slightly_ louder than socially acceptable to see Klug standing directly in front of them, eyes like plates behind his glasses and face flushed with consternation. He’s holding a book in one hand--not _that_ awful tome, thankfully, but rather his own grimoire, as he’d quickly felt the lack of the Record’s presence and was the sort who desperately needed _something_ to occupy his hands at all times. The book is a deep mauve color with an eight-pointed star etched into the leather on its front, and is no doubt already thick with neatly-printed notes.

Ajisai raises an eyebrow, resting their hands on the edge of the fountain and leaning back slightly. “Just the showcase. It was Sig’s idea.”

“But--but you _can’t,”_ Klug sputters, gesturing wildly with the spellbook. “No one even knows you _exist_ yet!”

“And what better way for them to find out? I think you’re overreacting again.”

“I am _not_ overreacting!”

Ajisai shifts their weight onto one arm and tilts their head to the side, their hair curling up in a physics-defying spiral as they purse their lips. “Oh? Are you sure you aren’t just worried about being _embarrassed_ by your own _book?”_

Klug makes a _terribly_ affronted face, and Ajisai barely stifles a laugh. Aya had quite enjoyed riling the boy up, and though Ajisai did not endorse their despicable manipulation of a vulnerable child, they couldn’t deny their own mischievous streak. It's kinder now, though, they hope--now that they care if he gets hurt.

Klug stammers incoherently for a few seconds, then throws both hands up in resignation with a strangled groan. Ajisai sits upright, offering him a warm smile as they pat the fountain next to them. Klug hesitates, staring at their hand for a moment, before he reluctantly sits down beside them, though noticeably scooting further away when he thinks they aren’t paying attention.

He’d been uncomfortable with them since their resurrection, which they suppose they can’t blame him for. After all, they _had_ caused him no small amount of grief, and their clothes bare a resemblance to a certain _person_ they know Klug would rather forget. While it does make sense, it still sends a pang through their chest, and they hope he’ll one day overcome it--now that they can finally guide him with _good_ intentions, they don’t want to lose the chance to make up for what their worse half had put him through.

“You’re participating as well, then?” Ajisai sets their hands in their lap, their tone casual.

Klug scoffs. “Of _course. This_ time, I’m going to _win._ I’ve been _practicing.”_

“New spells?”

“One or two. The loss of the book’s power isn’t _insignificant,_ but...it’s nothing I can’t handle! I’ll recoup it in no time.”

“Would you be willing to show me?”

They hear Klug suck in a sharp breath, and allow themself a sniff of a laugh through their nose. He’d clearly seen the battle they’d just had with his teacher, and now he had to decide what to do about _him_ potentially on the other end of a match like that.

“...Well, I--I _would,_ but, you see, I can’t go exhausting myself before the tournament.” Klug straightens his posture and his tie. “You understand, I’m sure.”

“Certainly.” They decide to spare him and _not_ bring up that the tournament won't begin until the next day. A slight smirk turns the corner of their mouth. “Some other time, then?”

Klug startles, then chuckles nervously. “Y--yes. Some other time.”

Ajisai finally lets out the laughter, stifling it slightly behind a claw. When they recover, it’s a warmer expression they give to Klug. “You’re going to do well. I believe in you.”

Klug looks away and does not answer. They didn’t think he would, of course--acknowledging such comments is not one of his strong suits, but they’ve noticed he doesn’t seem to hear that sort of thing enough. Not just assumptions about his abilities, or comments about his intelligence. Something more substantial. _I believe in you._

They think it's a shame. He needs to hear it more. They hope he appreciates it, even if he does not know how to say so.


End file.
